AUTHORITIES ORDER INSPECTIONS
Contractors also told to stop work except for rescue operations, says highway authority
THE Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) management has been instructed to inspect all launching gantry and beams at the construction site near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras.
Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) director-general Datuk Ir Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan said this was among the measures discussed in a meeting involving the Works Ministry, the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH), the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), consultant engineers, independent consultant engineers and contractors yesterday.
“The contractors have also been ordered to stop work at the incident site except for rescue operations, which include efforts to stabilise the structure.
“A temporary access plan should be provided for Puncak Banyan Condominium residents.
“Road users must also be informed about the temporary access plan via all medium of communication,” he said in a statement.
Shuhaimi said SUKE had received approval to fully close the Taman Len Seng (Zon 2) and Jalan Alam Damai (Zon 3) roads to enhance and ensure the safety of road users.
“However, SUKE has to ensure that an alternative route is provided prior to closing the Persiaran Alam Damai (Zon 1) road.
“DOSH and CIDB are investigating the cause of this incident and will present the report to the government,” he said.
The Works Ministry had issued a stop-work order for the project to enable investigations to be carried out to determine the cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts to recover the body of one of three workers killed in Monday’s gantry collapse continued yesterday.
Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department director Nordin Pauzi said firefighters were waiting for the contractor to stablise the building structure, which was expected to take between seven and nine hours.
“We are waiting for the contractor to carry out the work before we continue with the recovery process because the beams are heavy,” he said.
Cheras district police chief ACP Mohamed Mokhsein Mohamed Zon said police were still deployed at the scene to monitor the situation.
Chinese nationals Ding Kunfu, Jiang Jinboa and Mu Tong Zheng were crushed to death while a motorist was seriously injured after the gantry crane toppled over at the SUKE construction site near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai in Cheras here.
Two of the bodies have been recovered while that of Mu has yet to be retrieved. The driver, a local man, was admitted to the Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital.
SUKE said in a statement that a detour would be opened while the road at Persiaran Alam Damai was closed to enable clean-up work to be done at the location until Sunday.